Chapter 136: The Girlfriend Part 2

“Let’s go over there together. We wouldn’t want certain people sneaking off for a private tryst.”

No way… does Lu Zhou actually have a cuckoldry fetish?

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Baby, look at the freaks you’ve attracted. Good luck to you.

The door opened via the passcode. The lights inside were brilliant, but Xu Yinian never expected to see the three people she had encountered at the hotel gathered in her living room.

Shen Ruoshuang was notably absent. Yinian had no idea that Shen Yi had arranged for an X University advisor to call Ruoshuang away. Shen Yi’s calm exterior was merely a facade while she pulled the strings from the shadows. Shen Ruoshuang’s wings weren’t fully grown yet; she was no match for a woman as meticulous and controlling as Shen Yi.

Realizing she was being cornered for an interrogation, Yinian’s heart skipped a beat, and her face went pale. Returning this late was clearly suspicious. The time she spent at Shen Yi’s villa was a secret that could never see the light of day. A few targeted questions would blow her cover.

She had prepared an excuse, intending to say she had hidden away for a while under her senior’s instructions. But in front of the actual senior, Qin Jiashu—with whom she hadn’t coordinated—the lie would collapse instantly.

Ji Yan lifted her thick, damp eyelashes, her gaze as cold and humid as a sunless forest. Her tall, slender frame rose, casting a long, oppressive shadow. The pale skin of her hands was flushed, covered in angry red hives from her allergic reaction, yet she seemed oblivious to the gruesome sight.

Just as Yinian’s palms began to sweat, Qin Jiashu stepped forward. She naturally took Yinian’s hand and spoke up with a casual air.

“Baby, you weren’t scared, were you? These two lunatics wouldn’t let me leave for a second, so I had to find someone else to drive you home.”

No one saw the dark glint in Qin Jiashu’s eyes as she spoke. Others might not know, but she knew better than anyone: Xu Yinian shouldn’t have arrived just now. She hadn’t arranged for any other rooms or cars.

Not only was Xu Yinian late, but she had clearly showered and changed her clothes. This meant that while the three of them were in a chaotic standoff, a “Fisherman” had swooped in and picked Yinian up!

Since it was the Lian family’s hotel, could it have been Bai Ran?

Regardless of who it was, Qin Jiashu knew she had to cover for Yinian to lock her into a transaction she couldn’t refuse. She would never give up her status as the “current girlfriend.”

The thought of that soaked swimsuit—which she hadn’t even gotten to enjoy herself—falling into someone else’s hands made her teeth itch with resentment. This was no different from the time she had personally handed a drunk Xu Yinian over to Shen Ruoshuang! She was practically a saint, working so hard to create opportunities only to gift the results to others!

Yinian was startled, looking at Qin Jiashu in disbelief. She gradually realized the woman was helping her. From that gaze, she understood exactly what Qin Jiashu wanted in return.

Finally, her instinctively recoiling hand went soft, allowing itself to be held. Between admitting to a relationship with Qin Jiashu or being scrutinized until they found out about Shen Yi, Yinian chose the former without hesitation.

Furthermore, it was possible Ji Yan had already seen her in the hot spring today. She couldn’t afford to let Ji Yan have any suspicions.

Thinking of this, Yinian didn’t dare look at the looming Ji Yan. When she spoke, her voice was a nervous stutter, which through her soft tone sounded more like overwhelming shyness.

“Older… Older Sister…”

She had just learned this trick from her plea to Shen Yi. Even a slow girl like her had learned a few shortcuts; calling these women “Sister” seemed to make them exceptionally affectionate. Regardless of the age gap, “Sister” was the magic word.

Qin Jiashu’s breathing grew heavy instantly. Her fingers tightened reflexively as a thrill shot from her ears through her entire body. Just one “Older Sister” from Xu Yinian was enough to make her melt.

No one noticed Lu Zhou’s expression flicker into a momentary daze before she quickly resumed her look of indignation.

Ji Yan’s eyes, however, were filled with a distorted, manic rage. She processed every word with a mix of jealousy and a coercive impulse.

“Xu Yinian… what did you just call her?!”

Too frightened to speak, Yinian bit her lip hard. She cast a sidelong glance at Qin Jiashu, her reliance on her “protector” painfully obvious.

Qin Jiashu held Yinian’s hand firmly, enveloping it in her own. She arched a brow, staring directly at Ji Yan with her fox eyes, devoid of any fear. “Is there a problem with calling one’s own girlfriend ‘Sister’?”

Yinian’s heart throbbed. Even though she knew it was an act, the flutter she felt in that moment was real. …It felt as if she were truly being protected by a girlfriend.

“I want to hear it from your own mouth.”

No matter how much of a “Mad Dog” she was to others, Ji Yan’s voice turned dark and hoarse when facing Yinian, carrying the dampness of a defeated cur.

With just that one sentence, Yinian’s heart softened. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.